Unlock Tranquility With the Best Muscle Relaxers for a Stress-Free You
When over-the-counter medications aren’t enough, natural muscle relaxers can offer the relief you need without a prescription. Here are a few of the best ones to try.
Finding tranquility is crucial to a healthy life. Luckily, there are many ways to practice mindfulness and meditation that can help reduce stress, anxiety and promote peace and relaxation.
1. Mini Meditations – Muscle Relaxers
Mindful meditation helps to calm the mind and body, and it’s a great way to relieve stress. There are many different meditation techniques, so you can find a style that suits your needs. There are also many online resources that offer guided meditations, classes, and expert advice.
Whether you’re struggling to relax or just want a little extra help, try these mini meditations. They are short, simple, and effective.
These brainwave entrainment enhanced meditations use ambient music and special effects to trigger the relaxation response in your body. Simply sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Focus on your breath and let the sounds and imagery take you away.
Taking a few deep, relaxing breaths can help to calm the body and mind, slow your heart rate, and lower blood pressure. This mindfulness practice works well in a variety of situations, including at work, during family dinners, in the car, or waiting for an appointment.
One of the most effective ways to calm your mind is by practicing the “sacred pause” meditation, which involves tuning into each part of the body and consciously releasing tension. This technique, adapted from the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, is particularly helpful for managing anxiety and promoting overall well-being.
If you’re struggling to relax, try this guided meditation podcast with hypnotherapist Chel Hamilton. It’s designed to help you overcome negative thinking and increase confidence. This is a perfect meditation for those who have trouble sitting still or focusing for long periods of time.
Embracing mindful meditation can be a life-changing journey, and it’s important to find a way to relax that works for you. If you’re ready to start your own journey towards tranquility, order Tranquility today.
2. Yoga & Meditation – Muscle Relaxers
Yoga and meditation are both becoming increasingly popular in the Western world due to their psychological and physical benefits. Both practices encourage you to relax and focus on your breath, which helps to alleviate stress and lower blood pressure. Studies have found that both yoga and meditation can counteract cognitive decline, act on genetic factors that predispose individuals to stress, improve lower back pain, and ease depression.
Meditation and yoga differ slightly in their approach, with yoga focusing on training the body, while meditation is practiced without movement, either sitting or lying down. It’s recommended that you start with each practice separately, before combining them, to fully understand the basics of both. Once you have a strong and reliable meditation practice, you can start incorporating yoga into it to make the most of both its benefits.
Both yoga and meditation help to reduce the production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. This will decrease the negative effects of stress, such as muscle weakness, high blood pressure and a flushed face. Regular meditation and yoga can also improve concentration and the ability to focus, as well as increase grey matter density in the brain, which is associated with higher mental function.
Try practicing progressive muscle relaxation, which is a two-step process where you systematically tense and then relax each group of muscles in the body. This technique can help you develop an intimate familiarity with what tension feels like in different parts of the body, and it will enable you to react more quickly when stress begins building up. This can help you prevent the onset of full-blown symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, low back pain and poor digestion.
3. Magnesium – Muscle Relaxers
Magnesium is a natural stress buster that helps relax muscles and nerves. It has been called “nature’s valium” and the “original chill pill.” Magnesium counteracts stress by binding to GABA receptors in your brain, helping them reduce neurotransmitter activity and slow down your mind. This is why it’s been linked to reducing anxiety and other conditions associated with low levels of GABA, such as irritable bowel syndrome, social anxiety disorder, and diseases characterized by involuntary movements like epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
Taking magnesium can help you relax, especially if you suffer from insomnia. A 2021 study found that those with insomnia who took a magnesium supplement slept more than those who didn’t take it, allowing them to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Aside from being a natural sleep aid, magnesium also helps ease pelvic pain caused by tight or taut muscles in the lower back, legs, and abdomen. This is because it works to soothe skeletal muscle and smooth muscle (such as the bladder detrusor muscle).
When choosing the right magnesium supplement, consider its absorption rate and ease on the digestive system. A powder that can be easily dissolved in water is better absorbed by the body than one that must be swallowed whole and is more likely to cause nausea or diarrhea. It’s also important to look for a formula that contains other ingredients to help support your digestion and make it more absorbable. BetterYou offers a range of pill-free magnesium supplements that are easier on your stomach, including our proprietary bi-magnesium rest support formula. This is formulated with research-backed, clinically-studied ingredients designed to relax your mind and body for restful sleep.
4. Stretching
The reason cartoons depict their characters yawning and stretching is because doing so can actually help you relax. Subconscious stretching, or pandiculation, activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which induces calmness by promoting blood flow to the brain. This may help you stay focused and on track with your daily tasks.
Stretching can also help you feel more positive about your situation and yourself, as it stimulates the release of hormones that promote a good mood. In addition, it increases circulation and boosts oxygen levels in the body, thereby helping you to think more clearly and react less harshly during stressful times.
Stiff, tight muscles are more likely to trigger stress in the body and mind. And, while there’s nothing wrong with taking a prescription muscle relaxant on occasion to alleviate pain from spasms, backaches or headaches, natural muscle relaxers are usually sought by people who prefer a more holistic approach.
Adding a few simple stretches to your daily routine can make all the difference in the way you deal with life’s stressors. Just remember to always start with a warm-up session like a short walk or some jumping jacks before you begin your stretches. When starting out, aim to hold each stretch for about 15 seconds. Make sure to breathe deeply throughout each stretch, and don’t force the stretch to be too uncomfortable. If it feels painful or causes tingling or numbness, discontinue the stretch and consult a doctor. For best results, stick with a consistent stretching routine. The key is to make it a regular part of your day, so that it becomes a habit and you don’t forget about it when the stress hits.
5. Topical Products
When you have an anxiety attack, it can often manifest as muscle pain or tension. Stress relief lotion is a great topical to help relieve this tension and calm the nerves, especially when mixed with aromatherapy. Some of the most popular ingredients include frankincense, chamomile, and ylang-ylang, all which have natural calming effects. Applying this lotion on a regular basis can help you relax, get better sleep, and have less tension.
Muscle spasms can happen anytime, anywhere during activity or rest. They can be triggered by overexertion, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and more. The good news is that you can naturally soothe your muscles without the side effects of pharmaceutical muscle relaxers, according to Dr. Graham. Natural muscle relaxers can be ingested or applied topically and may contain herbs, vitamins, minerals or essential oils.
While there’s nothing wrong with using pharmaceutical muscle relaxers on occasion, they can come with a host of negative side effects that can impact your health and quality of life. If you want to take a more holistic approach to managing your stress and tension, read our book Tranquility: Unlock the Power of Self-Help Strategies for Inner Peace and Tranquility today! You can order the book on Amazon and start overcoming your stress and anxiety. It’s time to let go of the worries and find the peace you deserve! Thank you for reading.
